In Path of Exile 2, both the Orb of Annulment and the Exalted Orb are vital crafting currencies, but they serve opposite purposes in the modification of rare and magic gear. Understanding when to remove a mod with an Orb of Annulment versus when to add a mod with an Exalted Orb is key to efficient and successful crafting. Many players consider Orbs of Annulment and Exalted Orbs as high-value poe 2 currency for sale because of their central role in advanced crafting.

Orb of Annulment: Removing Mods

The Orb of Annulment removes exactly one random modifier from a magic or rare item. Its primary use is refinement—players use it to remove unwanted or detrimental affixes that hinder the item's effectiveness or block further crafting steps. Because the mod removal is random, the orb is best used sparingly on items that are already close to ideal, with only one or two “bad” mods to get rid of.

Key scenarios for using the Orb of Annulment include:

Cleaning an item before adding new mods, especially if an undesirable prefix or suffix needs to be removed.

Preparing an item for multimodding or other advanced crafting methods.

Removing low-value or conflicting mods that reduce overall gear effectiveness.

The risk lies in accidentally removing a valuable mod, so planning and backup strategies such as imprinting or “prefixes/suffixes cannot be changed” crafts often accompany annulment use. Players seeking efficiency often treat Orbs of Annulment as a cheap poe 2 currency to conserve while targeting high-value gear.

Exalted Orb: Adding Mods

In contrast, the Exalted Orb adds a new random modifier to a rare item without removing any existing mods. It is generally used to enhance an already good item by increasing its total number of affixes, pushing the gear closer to its maximum six modifiers.

Typical uses for the Exalted Orb include:

Adding powerful new mods to rare items that already have a strong base set of affixes.

Completing an item’s mod pool for maximum power.

Enhancing tradeable gear for increased value.

Because it only adds and doesn't remove, the Exalted Orb is prized for upgrading items without risk of losing valuable stats. However, the randomness of the added mod means that players still may get less-than-ideal affixes and use other crafting methods to refine results afterward.

When to Use Which?

Use Orb of Annulment when you want to fix an item by deleting a bad or unwanted mod that blocks perfecting the item or conflicts with your desired build.

Use Exalted Orb when you want to improve and expand an item’s affixes, pushing a good item toward its full potential.

In crafting workflows, annulment is typically a preliminary step before adding new mods with exalted orbs and other currencies. This sequence—remove bad mods, then add good ones—allows controlled crafting with minimized risk.

Annulment is about controlled deletion with risk to prune and refine gear, while exalted orbs are about adding mods to strengthen and complete items. Skilled crafters use both thoughtfully: annulment to remove the unwanted, exalted to add the exceptional, balancing risk and reward in the art of crafting powerful gear in Path of Exile 2.